I watched one of her novice/junior Nationals programs the other day and oh man, she was amazing. It's such such such a shame the US could not properly harness her potential. The skating skills were there, the jumps were explosive, the spins were excellent, and the expression was on point. I don't want to make it sound like she's retired already, but it's truly a sad "what could've been" story. :sad21:
2019-20 U.S. Ladies Figure Skating
- Thread starter MarinHondas
- Start date
I watched one of her novice/junior Nationals programs the other day and oh man, she was amazing. It's such such such a shame the US could not properly harness her potential. The skating skills were there, the jumps were explosive, the spins were excellent, and the expression was on point. I don't want to make it sound like she's retired already, but it's truly a sad "what could've been" story. :sad21:
I do wonder if it's the rippon hands that's throwing her off or just some other inherent issue. It was frustrating to see her do the rippon on every jump, even though she could barely rotate or land them at her JGP. I hope she can get back to her Nationals level from last year. The US needs to retain this junior talent
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- Nov 8, 2019
This may sound a bit cheesy or something, but I just want her to be happy, honestly. I'm looking forward to watching her this year.
Yeah I feel you. I was talking to my friend about how it'd be hard for her to make the World/Olympic team now, but at the very least she has a great college and a career to pursue after skating. I just can't imagine how hard it is for her to focus and do well in one while juggling the other. Poor skating results don't seem to make her happy either, so I hope she can eventually make a decision for her own sake...
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- Feb 24, 2012
Do people think Bradie or Mariah could win a world medal this year? Is it possible Mariah could get higher pcs than Bradie? Is Bradie technically more likely to get higher scores?| Both ladies have looked im pressive and they are not kids.
I don't think we can tell until they're both at Nationals and peaking, but my opinion thus far is that I don't think Mariah can surpass Bradie unless Bradie falls or loses her reputation as the US #1.
Bradie's a better technical skater. Her jumps are more secure, and she works the points game with her 3Lz+3T's. Mariah is more expressive and "artistic", but her jumps are still iffy looking, so she won't get the points. Judges award the technical components more, and Bradie still gets higher PCS because of reputation and consistency. If Bradie falters though, Mariah can capitalize on the opportunity and sway judges onto her side.
It isn't likely, but anything can happen. Generally I would say that all three Russians and at least two of the Japanese ladies will be ahead of them, but you never know. I would guess they will be 6th and 7th, maybe below a few of the Korean girls. But, it is Worlds. Anything can happen.
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- Jul 9, 2014
You're right and I would be thrilled if they were able to pull off 6 and 7 to secure the much needed 3rd spot. It seems fairly clear at this point that Alysa will knock one of them off the team once she's eligible for SR Worlds so, that 3rd spot is definitely needed
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- Nov 8, 2019
I think this discussion may already have been had a bit earlier in this thread? or maybe a different one... But unless one of them has a disastrous skate, all three of whoever Russia sends (even if they send one of Evgenia or Alina which I'm a bit doubtful of), will probably take top 4/5 spots. I expect Rika Kihira to be on the podium or near it. There's also You Young who, if she lands her triple axels, has a good shot for a top 5/6. And there's a handful more skaters who, if they do really well, could easily score above Bell and Tennell. (Nothing against Mariah and Bradie, I've like their skating and hope they do well, I just think it's improbable considering their scores/technical content.)
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- Oct 14, 2018
Considering season’s best scores thus far, any of the three Russians could place 1-3. Rika will probably be somewhere in the Top 4. However, anything below is fair game. You Young has amazing jumps, but needs to work on her performance components. If she can land BOTH 3As, then she could either be 5 or 6. Barring any disasters, Mariah and Bradie could both potentially place in the Top 5/6/7 which is enough for 3 spots. The only ones to have beaten Bradie and Mariah’s total scores this season are the Russians, You, and Rika.
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- Feb 17, 2010
This is how I see it too. Bradie medaling would require some pretty big mistakes from the top contenders, but that does happen sometimes. Rika was shaky last year when everyone thought she was a lock for the podium, and the young Russians haven't yet faced the pressure of contending for a World title. If everyone skates reasonably well, it's hard seeing Bradie or Mariah doing better than 5th.
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- Nov 12, 2011
i think whoever is sent to worlds should go with the goal of getting 3 spots back, which is doable with solid skates. medals are possible if others make mistakes, but i think there are too many contenders for that to actually happen. you're going to have 3 Russians who have a big chance of sweeping the podium, Rika, and Young You who has big scoring potential if she's clean. Tursynbaeva may be back by then too. i think an American can snag 4th at best, but of course ice is slippery. i also think Mariah has made a better name for herself this season with solid outings and medals at both GP events, and i think that may help her scores if she is sent to worlds. Bradie will need to keep the carrot farm under control. i absolutely think 3 spots is possible next year.
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- Nov 12, 2011
haven't seen a video yet, but she was clean. triple-double and all level 4s on spins, level 3 on stsq. she should be proud of putting out a good skate! i think with a good long she can hang onto top 5.
http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1920/gpjpn2019/data0203.pdf
I think the three Russians + at least two of the Japanese girls will be 1-5. Then you have Sotoko, Tennell, Bell and You fighting for the next four spots. Depending upon the battle between these four, we can regain 3 spots. BUT, anything can happen.
Karen was nice. Huge 3L, (which made it difficult to do the 3T, so it was a 2T)
Karen was nice. Huge 3L, (which made it difficult to do the 3T, so it was a 2T)
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- Feb 17, 2010
I mostly agree, but I think two of the Japanese women will be within reach of the Americans. If Bradie can manage a 5th place finish, we'll be in really good shape.
While 6th & 7th are definitely attainable, I hope that they do not succumb to the pressure of needing to secure 3 spots for the US. So long as they skate cleanly, they're looking strong enough this season to make a meaningful splash!
It's more than likely that the top 4 spots will be contested among the new Russian stars and Rika.
Looking through the current SB list, Young You claims 5th (among those likely to be sent to Worlds), with Bradie and Mariah claiming 6th and 7th respectively. Young has higher scoring potential, but relies heavily on landing the 3A to garner judge boosting. For now, I wouldn't count her as a safe bet just yet. Eunsoo/Yelim have not been as consistent this season, so I will rule them out for now. Elizabet is a big question mark, but I wouldn't be surprised to see her make a splash again with a few months of preparation. Satoko is being crushed under the weight of her own underrotations. If absolutely clean, PCS can possibly her above Mariah but Bradie's technical advantage should keep her ahead. Kaori is the main spoiler, with her late season peaking and judge favoring. Again, I think Bradie has a shot at challenging a full-powered Kaori, but Mariah's technical side may be just a smudge lacking.
Regardless, this season is still exciting for the American ladies as they are finally climbing back up to the top. I think it is far too premature to pronounce that Alysa will be taking a spot in 2022 - she has yet to even skate at a major junior competition, and 3 years of growth or new stars could happen. I would hold off on that until at least after this season! However, it would be imperative that the American ladies claim back 3 spots for the Olympics, so 2021 Worlds will be a tough watch.
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- Mar 4, 2018
The one thing I will add is that the russian skaters have shown can be reliably dominant up until the moment they are not. Even though this round of Russian ladies are better than the previous round Russia has had for quite a few years the talent to field a team that could sweep the podium at Worlds yet never has completely done it.
Nothing is a sure thing in skating. Otherwise Michelle Kwan and Yuna Kim would have two Olympic medals.
Nothing is a sure thing in skating. Otherwise Michelle Kwan and Yuna Kim would have two Olympic medals.
I agree that ice is slippery and anything can happen but Russian ladies dominance really is at another unprecedented peak. In the past few years, Russia had Evgenia who managed to claim back-to-back golds, but the other Russian ladies were far from certainties. Liza, Elena, Radionova, Sotskova were "dominant" but never at the level we see today. There was still some reasonable doubt that they would sweep. Gracie and Ashley just had to skate clean and they would always still factor in the podium equation.
Nowadays, Bradie and Mariah could skate perfectly with +4 to +5 in GOE and still not podium. I know there are no certainties in this sport, but Eteri's new seniors (through their own innovation and some judge prodding) have really changed the field. American ladies will need to do something to catch up. Hopefully seeing the Russian ladies will inspire the Americans and fuel their own ambitions.
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- Feb 17, 2010
Yeah, being able to do jumps beyond the 3Lz changes a lot. With a 3A, you can build a healthy SP lead as we saw Alena and Rika do today. With quads, you can make up almost any SP deficit. With neither, you're very dependent on both the technical skaters (with 3As and quads) and the more artistic skaters to make mistakes. For someone like Bradie to medal at Worlds, all but two of these would have to happen: Sasha completely falls apart, Anna bombs, Alena bombs, Rika bombs, Satoko has multiple mistakes, Kaori has multiple mistakes, You misses her 3A. If Alina or Evgenia are on the team, they'd have to make mistakes too for Bradie to catch up. It's really become a totally different sport this season, as we can see from two world medalists not even being among the top three favorites to make it back to Worlds.
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